Hyundai to street pickup truck in U.S.

News reports out this week suggested Hyundai will bring a pickup truck to the U.S. as consumers continue to move further away from sedans in favour of larger vehicles.

Reuters News Agency said Michael O’Brien, vice-president of corporate and product planning at Hyundai’s U.S. office, confirmed management has given the green light to develop a pickup truck similar to the Santa Cruz seen at a number of auto shows dating back to 2015.

While there was no word if Canadian dealers will also get a chance to sell the pickup, Chad Heard with Hyundai Auto Canada confirmed the company is evaluating the concept vehicle and its applicability for this market.

“As a result, it’s too early to discuss the vehicle’s potential or product details,” he told Canadian AutoWorld via email.

O’Brien told Reuters that Hyundai plans to launch a small SUV called the Kona in the United States later this year.

“People familiar with the automaker’s plans said separately that Hyundai plans to launch three other new or refreshed SUVs by 2020,” Reuters reported.

People familiar with Hyundai’s plans told the news agency the automaker would also produce a new version of its Santa Fe Sport mid-sized SUV next year, followed by an all-new seven-passenger crossover to replace the current three-row Santa Fe in early 2019 in the United Sates.